The Jimmy Douglass archives are up for auction featuring Jay-Z, Aaliyah reels

Jay-Z “Big Pimpin” Reel

Wax Poetics announces The Jimmy Douglass Hip-Hop and Jazz Archive, a new multi-part archival release drawn from the personal collection of legendary five-time Grammy Award-winning engineer, producer, and mixer Jimmy Douglass. The multi-part archival auction features original studio reels, vocal tapes, digital masters, and recording artifacts from some of the most influential records ever made.

 
 “I’m excited to give people access to my history through these items”, says Jimmy Douglass. “Some of them are tied to some of my biggest pieces of work and I’m looking forward to them finding a new home.”

 
PART ONE: JAZZ / FUNK / SOUL

Aretha Franklin’s Telefunken U47 Microphone         

Anchoring the collection is the original Telefunken U47 studio microphone used by Aretha Franklin during sessions for Young, Gifted and Black and “I Say a Little Prayer,” a piece directly tied to one of the defining recording eras in American music history. There are also original studio reels from some of the most influential records ever made, including Jay-Z’s “Big Pimpin,” Aaliyah’s “Try Again” (labeled as and originally named “Dust Yourself Off”), and Justin Timberlake’s “Cry Me A River.” The original vocal reel for Dr. Dre’s “Forgot About Dre.” Handwritten lyrics from Missy Elliott. A digital master for Destiny's Child’s “Say My Name.” Master reels for Nas’ “You Owe Me Something” featuring Ginuwine, complete with handwritten chorus lyrics dated 1999.

Additional highlights include a rare demo tape from Ann Peebles for “Somebody’s On Your Case,” alongside unreleased demo recordings and cassette material from Dr. John and King Curtis.

Developed in collaboration with Douglass, the collection features studio artifacts, original master reels, demo tapes, handwritten lyrics, unreleased recordings, and memorabilia preserved across his decades-long career. Spanning jazz, soul, funk, hip-hop, and R&B, it offers a rare look into the recording process behind some of the most influential music of the last half century. Launching throughout June in a series of separate drops, The Jimmy Douglass Archive traces different lineages of recorded music history, beginning with a Jazz, Funk, and Soul collection now live via Wax Poetics. Bidding runs through June 21.
 
 
PART TWO: HIP-HOP / R&B
 

Aaliyah “Dust Yourself” (“Try Again”) Reel

Spotlighting Douglass’ role as one of modern music’s defining engineers, the second drop features original studio reels, vocal tapes, and digital masters connected to seminal recordings from the late 90s and early 2000s. Highlights include the original vocal tape for Dr. Dre’s “Forgot About Dre,” original studio reels for Aaliyah’s “Try Again,“ still bearing the reel title “Dust Yourself Off” and “Roses and Armour”, instrumental reels for Justin Timberlake recordings including “Cry Me a River”, “Ride 4 Me”, and “Take Me Now”, and a digital master for Destiny's Child’s “Say My Name.”
 
The release also includes master and slave reels for “You Owe Me Something” by Nas featuring Ginuwine, accompanied by handwritten chorus lyrics dated 1999. Several tapes retain original studio labeling, handwritten notes, and production markings from the sessions themselves, preserving the physical traces of the creative process behind era-defining recordings.
 
Beginning at Atlantic Records in the late 1960s, Douglass engineered recordings for Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, and Foreigner before helping shape a new era of music through his longtime partnership with Timbaland. His credits include landmark works by Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, Aaliyah, Justin Timberlake, Nas, Snoop Dogg, Björk, Kanye West, and more.
 
“Discovering Jimmy’s archive has been an incredible privilege" says Alex Bruh, co-owner and CEO of Wax Poetics. “Jimmy helped shape the sound of multiple generations and genres and some of these items are truly historic.”
 
Alongside the auction, Wax Poetics will share exclusive editorial content and video features documenting the stories behind the archive and Douglass’ role in shaping generations of recorded music from inside the control room. Bidding for the Hip -hop and R&B Collection starts June 8 at 3pm and runs through June 28.